His nickname, "Machine Gun Lou", derives from his stunning the crowd and fellow competitors by 150-and-out in straight pool in 21 minutes against Allen Hopkins in 1973.

He gained exposure to the masses in 1981 and 1982 when he appeared in network trick shot competitions on CBS and ABC.

Career

Butera knocked off top players regularly in the 1970s with his trademark fast-paced style, which seemed to make the game of pool more exciting for the spectators.

In 1974, Butera triumphed over Richie Florence to win the Bud Lundahl's Midwest Open, a straight pool tournament, and triumphed over Richie Florence in a 150-68 title match.

Lou Butera was one of the 43 invited pool players who competed in the International Pool Tour's King of the Hill Shootout in Orlando, Florida, December 2005. Some of his videos are avaible on Virtual Pool game.

Filmography

As an accomplished pool player, Butera has produced various instructional videos for students of pool about the fundamentals of the game.

Lou Butera appeared in several films as an actor and technical advisor. He had a cameo appearance, as himself, in the pool hustling comedy film The Baltimore Bullet and as a pool player in Police Academy 6: City Under Siege. Butera was the technical advisor in the 1984 film Racing to the Moon, starring Sean Penn.

Titles

• 1974 U.S. Classic Pocket Billiard Championship
• 1974 All Japan Open
• 1981 King of the Hill Pool Championship, Sands Casino, (Las Vegas, Nevada)

References